CARRION TOURS WESTCHESTER SQUARE MEDICAL CENTER
Vows to Put Pressure on Governor Spitzer

Picture Caption: Carrion touring the Westchester Square Medical Center with CEO of the Hospital Alan Kopman 

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. toured Westchester Square Medical Center in the Bronx with Chief Executive Officer Alan Kopman. Westchester Square Medical Center was one of five New York City hospitals the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century recommended the state close to help save $1.5 billion. Carrion has been a major supporter of keeping this community hospital open.

“To close down hospitals right now is short-sighted,” stated Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion. “We must send a strong united message to both the Governor and the State Legislature that this hospital is vital to the health of the surrounding community.”

“Just yesterday it was announced that the Bronx has the highest cancer rate in New York City and the highest fatality rate amongst cancer patients. This is a critical crisis and we need every medical resource to combat it. Sometimes the bottom line is more than money,” stated Carrion.

During the tour Carrion had a chance to talk to various patients and staff members about the importance of this facility. Every section he visited he was greeted with pleas to help them keep this hospital open.

“Both patients and staff members are being abundantly clear. This hospital is more than simply a medical facility it is a family,” stated Carrion after the tour.   

In early January a judge issued a temporary restraining order to halt the closing of the hospital. Bronx State Supreme Court Justice Mary Ann Brigantti-Hughes issued the order in response to a lawsuit that claims the commission's creation was unconstitutional. Brigantti-Hughes set Jan. 29 to hear the case, brought by New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the firm Chadbourne & Parke LLP on behalf of the Mechler Hall Senior Center and 64-year-old Mary McKinney, a Westchester Square cancer and asthma patient.

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